miniFASHIONISTA Memory and Reading Book

I have been so excited to unveil my newest project. It has taken me much longer then anticipated due to my poor time management skills these days, BUT I am finally done!

Introducing our miniFASHIONISTA Memory and Reading Book.

Going through her clothes has been rough on me. She has such a cute and stylish wardrobe that was outgrown much too quickly. I knew I didn’t want to keep a ton of clothes. But I also didn’t know how to preserve the memory of these adorable outfits. I searched Pintrest and Google but I kept seeing the same thing over and over, making a quilt. I see a couple problems with that. One: I am nursery obsessed and it simply would not coordinate (silly I know). Two: I couldn’t ruin all of these cute clothes and could be passed to friends and family. Three: Oh yea… and I don’t quilt.

I knew I needed to do something digital. Back to Pintrest and nada.

Inspiration came from the weirdest of places. I had converted all of our pictures on the fridge to Instagram Magnets (a much cleaner look- highly suggest it) and it dawned on me that I could use this format to create something really unique using my iPhone/computer but in book form. A way to save a piece of her little itsy bitsy clothing without actually destroying. I now can stash away our favorites (aka the floral printed skinny jeans I was obsessed with) send others off as hand me downs, and sell/donate the rest.

The Process:

I created a new private Instagram account and started snapping away as I went through her clothes. I made sure to pick pieces she had actually worn and that I really loved. Then I used Blurb.com to create an Instagram book (super easy and convenient). When appropriate I added a single word “elephant” or “button” that one day we can use as a reading tool. (If I ever actually let her touch the book for more then a quick photo.) And there you have it, an easy way to make those adorable, and often pricy clothes, last without cutting them up into pieces.

Looking back over the pictures spark an instant memory for me. I don’t need to see the whole piece or even be able to feel it to picture her hanging out in her bouncer in an adorable sweet pea onesie.

*Here are a few alternatives to the process*

• Use pictures of your babes in the clothes, cropping to highlight their cute style over their smiling faces
• Use one page as a close up of the item and the next page of a picture of your darlings in it. (I had high hopes of accomplishing this, but will require a bit more time and planning)
• Instragram was an easy “cheat” for me with their array of filters and easy uploading process. Photoshop fans can easily create their own versions using actions, brushes, typography, etc. PicMonkey is another online photo editing tool that would be really helpful. You get the idea. There are a lot of options out there!

I cannot wait to keep this tradition going and see how it morphs itself as her and her clothes grow.

Make sure to stay tuned for book #2 which is already in the works!

*Please feel free to pass this idea along, giving credit where credit is due. Also, all pictures are personal property of Liv With Roses. I in no way claim to be the sole person responsible for generating this adorable idea. The idea for this book came to me from out of the blue. Although I searched to see if anyone else was sharing something similar I found nothing. I am sure it has occurred to someone else as well so if you have seen this elsewhere please share!*